Sprouted foods are best eaten when they are steamed or cooked. Consuming raw sprouts is not advisable especially for grains, as it is susceptible to bacteria that causes food-borne sickness.

Sprouted food always taste better when it is soft but firm. Sprouts get cooked fast so when overdone, it becomes mushy. Here is a guide on steaming sprouts to the right texture.

I always prefer steaming the sprouts instead of cooking it with water. Moreover, steaming helps to retain the nutrients in sprouts without much loss.

There are many ways of steaming the sprouts. You can use a steamer or a pressure cooker or a microwave. Sometime I use idly cooker also. Here, I have used a stainless steam basket that is placed in pressure cooker.

Method

• Place the chickpeas sprouts in a stainless steam basket. If you don’t have this type of utensil, you can use any flat bottomed bowl or an idly plate too.
• Pour a cup of water in the cooker base, place the cooker rack/steaming grid at the bottom. 
• Keep the sprouts colander over it. Close the lid.
• Steam it for 5 to 7 mins without the whistle.
• In this way, the sprouts get cooked without losing its nutrients. 
• Steamed sprouts can be used in any recipe as per your choice. Most commonly it is added in salads, sandwiches, subzis, flavoured rice varieties and more.

Notes

• If you are steaming it in microwave, you can use the MW proof steaming container or any borosil bowl. Sprinkle some water over the sprouts and MW high for 4-5 mins (timings vary from oven to oven).
• Some sprouts like kabuli chana, rajma, groundnut, peas take more time to get cooked than other sprouted foods.
• Steamed sprouted are to be added at the last stage of cooking if using in subzis, gravies, dals and more.

For checking out the guide on ‘How to Grow Sprouts’, Plz click here..

Happy Cooking!